Expanded Learning Concepts

ASK A SCHOOL DIRECTOR 

 BY HEATHER WILSON

How do I keep parents interested and informed about Montessori and our school?

Keeping parents informed and interested can be challenging in today’s world.  With many families, the necessity for a double income requires parents and children to be always on the move.  There are several ways to keep the families you work with up to date and informed, however, it is important to not only rely on one mode of communication.  To ensure that your families are up to date and “in the know” I suggest making several information sharing options available to them.

School Year Calendar

At the beginning of each new school year parents should be provided with a school year calendar.  This calendar should include all important dates for your families.  Things such as professional development days, scheduled holiday times, field trips, special events should be included on this calendar.  It is important to note that these dates may be subject to change to ensure that you protect your school in the event that a change occurs.

Parent/School Handbook

If your school does not have a parent/school handbook in place, I strongly recommend that you create one.  This lays out the administrative necessities for the families in your school.  It informs the parents of discipline policies, behaviour management, illness policies, emergency procedures etc.  Any school that is licensed by the Ministry of Children and Youth Services and/or the Ministry of Education is required by law to provide this for their clients.

School Newsletter

A school newsletter is always a great way to keep information forthcoming.  This keeps parents up to date on all school activities.  Each classroom could have a column to keep parents informed of what has gone on and what is coming up.  This also allows parents to keep informed of the other classrooms in the school and eliminates trying to track separate newsletters from each teacher.  I recommend to administrators and school directors to put out their newsletters on the first Monday of each month.  This provides parents with the time to update their calendars and prepare for what is coming up.  It also gives them the opportunity to see what their child has been learning about and working on in their classroom over the past month.  This newsletter can also be used as a tool for educating parents about the Montessori philosophy.  A column dedicated to the different topics that are so important to this philosophical teaching style. Some topics could include: The Importance of the 3 Year Cycle, What is Practical Life and Why is it important?  So many parents are unfamiliar with these principles and aren’t always able to attend workshops, this will give them a little bit of insight into the philosophy.

Website

A website is another great communication tool.  This is especially helpful for those parents that seem to lose their newsletters between the school mail pouch and the car door.  Your website can contain information for new parents looking to enroll their children as well as information for current parents.  Some schools offer secured sites for current parents to access, thereby protecting the children and staff at their school.  Web sites are wonderful tools to use to advertise workshops, activities, fundraisers etc. to parents outside of the existing school community and a great way to keep both your parents and general public informed about your school.  Posting your monthly newsletter on your website is a great paper saver!

Parent Workshops

Parent Workshops are a terrific way to keep parents informed and confident in their choice to keep their child in your program.  I suggest hosting a mandatory parent meeting at the beginning of each school year.  This meeting is to welcome both new and returning parents, update all families on any changes that you need to inform them of and an opportunity to speak to your parents for longer than 10 seconds.   Throughout the school year I recommend that the teachers host 2-3 different workshops on a variety of topics relating to Montessori and its practical application in the classroom.  Through trial and error I have found that parents are very keen to learn about the 5 areas of the classroom and how the materials are manipulated.

Daily Interactions

Don’t forget that day to day interaction is still a very important piece to open communication.  Many schools have gone to very strict rules concerning communication with parents.  We must remember that a parent is the child’s first teacher.  The moms and dads at your school have entrusted their most prized possessions with you and it can be disconcerting to have a door shut in your face when you are dropping off your little one.  By no means should you engage in a 20 minute conversation with a parent but a reassuring smile, a friendly hello or even a quick moment to tell a parent of a proud moment in the classroom can go a long way!

Open and positive communication is a key to operating a successful and strong Montessori school.

Ask a School Director